


Learning to Laugh at Your Fears is for Children

by Idle_Hans



Series: Pocket Universities [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:08:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idle_Hans/pseuds/Idle_Hans
Summary: "I have no right to know my classmates' worst fears, Professor, and they certainly have no right to see mine. Nor do you, sir."
Series: Pocket Universities [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798099
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Learning to Laugh at Your Fears is for Children

"Miss Tayte, where are you going?"

Carmen let go of the doorknob and turned to face Professor Lupin.

"I have no right to know my classmates' worst fears, Professor, and they certainly have no right to see mine. Nor do you, sir. Therefore I am stepping outside."

"I understand your concern, and I'm sure the other students appreciate your regard for them. But you cannot pass this class without learning to confront a boggart."

"With a joke spell, Professor? Against something in the same category of existence as a Dementor? That, sir, is what is 'riddikulus' about this lesson."

"What would you use instead, Miss Tayte?"

Carmen walked up to the wardrobe and raised her wand, incanting, " _Esse revelare_." Nothing much happened, and she glanced at Professor Lupin.

"There is nothing between me and the wall that qualifies as a Being for the purposes of magical or non-magical law, and the stone wall is adequate shielding. Therefore the following spell is completely lawful."

She positioned her wand again and cast, adding the necessary gesture to push the spell through the wooden door before it activated.

" _Avada kedavra!_ "

Everyone gasped out loud, but Carmen kept going as if nothing had happened.

" _Alohomora_."

The door opened to show a cloud of blackish dust settling to the wardrobe's floor.

"There you are, Professor. One dead boggart. _Evanesco_."

And the dust vanished.

Carmen turned around and took a step towards the staffroom door. The other students shrank away from her.

"Oh, don't be like that," she said irritably. "Anything that causes instant death is humane killing. We can all think of truly horrible ways to die by magic and the AK isn't one of them."

But she chose to give them a moment to recover and turned back to face the still stunned Professor Lupin.

"It also works quite well against Dementors and Lethifolds, Professor, and again, it is lawful in such circumstances. By the way, sir, a Patronus is one of the most magically inefficient methods of sending a message I can think of. And as, for reasons which are no-one's business, I lack the necessary fount of joyful memories to cast it, I will not be putting effort into learning it. May we go now, sir?"


End file.
